She looked back at him, but was unable to see his face due to the angle his neck was set at. Her palms began to feel clammy from the extreme warmth of his. All it took was one word from him to set her heart racing, and she was unsure of how or what gave him the ability to make her feel this way.

            “Stay,” he cleared his throat, “We have to finish the project. Let’s get as much done as possible. I’ll get us something to eat.”

            Buried in work, April completely lost track of time and hadn’t even realized that it was coming close to midnight. Her phone had run out of battery, and was currently unreachable by her worried-dead mother.

            It became an extreme struggle to keep her eyelids open as the blaring white computer screen continued to blind her eyes, and before she realized it, April knocked out on the floor. BaekHyun peered over to find the girl lying lifelessly on the ground. He gently lifted her up onto his bed and quickly tucked her in before he finished off the rest of the model by himself. 

            Just as exhausted and drained, BaekHyun found himself too fatigued to do anything else but sleep—and therefore, he too, knocked out.

            She opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar environment. April sat straight up and scanned her surroundings, soon allowing her panic to settle down when she came to realize that she had slept over at BaekHyun’s house. She glanced over to the large worktable in the corner to find the model completely finished—just the way she had wanted it. April smiled to herself when she spotted the handsome boy dozing off with his head gently rested against the desk. Grabbing his uniform jacket, she draped it around his shoulders to keep his bones warm from the chilly morning fog before quietly leaving the house.

            “I’m sorry, Umma. I lost track of time and my phone was out of battery…”

            Her mother let out a sigh, causing her daughter to feel even more remorseful about her actions when she noticed her weary and tired eyes due to lack of sleep and worry. With a weak groan, she accepted her daughter’s apology and somewhat reasonable excuse, trusting April to never let it happen again, “It’s okay sweetie. Just as long as you’re okay, everything will be fine. Go get ready for school now.”

            April nodded obediently—surprised, but definitely glad that her mother did not scold her as she had expected her to. Before leaving upstairs to start her morning routine, she suddenly remembered about the audition papers and rushed back into the kitchen. However, the moment she noticed her mother’s sluggish movements and concerned face while packing their belongings for the move, she knew it was not the time to be speaking about trivial matters like this. Exhaling heavily in disappointment, April selflessly pushed her personal business to the side—understanding the position and circumstances her mother was currently in.

            “It can wait,” she told herself.

            “Join us,” a raspy voice urged, “If you stay with your useless brothers, you’re going to die under our hands for sure. We could use a strong and skillful person like you. What is there to lose, LuHan? This is nothing but another open door of opportunity waiting for you. Why not take it?”

            LuHan scoffed mockingly at the despicable Lycanthrope as he rolled his eyes, “Is that all you have to say? You kidnapped me and brought me here just to tell me a bunch of useless bull. Wow, you must have a lot of time on your hands, don’t you? Anyways, if you’re done saying what you have to say, I’mma bounce. See you later.”

            “Who said you could leave? My my, LuHan. You sure are rude,” the Lycanthrope sneered. “It’s such a pity that a person like you—with so much potential and power—has to die before the real game even starts. How unfortunate.”

            “What the hell are you saying..?”

            “Kill him.”

            KyungSoo’s eyes shot open, horrified. He sat up, feeling as the sweat-drenched wife beater clung to his dampened skin. There were many things out there he was unsure of, but what he had just visually experienced was undoubtedly a morbid—but real—vision of his brother. KyungSoo hurriedly slipped out of bed and busted LuHan’s bedroom door open.

            As expected, the sheets were open and wrinkled—indicating that there had once been a person that slept within them. However, their owner was nowhere to be seen. 

            “Fantastic job, SeonWoo,” Mrs. Son beamed proudly at her top student and clapped enthusiastically as he smoothly finished off his presentation. “You never fail to disappoint. All right, mmm, the next group will be… MiYoung and NaNa. After them, we’ll be having April and BaekHyun.”

            April glanced over to the empty desk beside her and then to the classroom door—desperately wanting to see BaekHyun walk through it in time to make it for their presentation. However, she knew his arrival was not in her control. She mindlessly watched as her two classmates confidently chirped their presentation away, but was unable to ignore the unstoppable ticking on and on. April spent the remaining time praying and hoping that somehow, the boy will miraculously appear.

            “Please hurry…”

            BaekHyun fleeted through the depths of the forest with his brothers right beside him. An extremely uneasy harbored from within him along with a voice at that very back of his mind, endlessly reminding him of not only the endangered LuHan, but also the presentation with April that impatiently awaited him at school. He picked up his pace and forced his legs to move quicker.

            The sun had risen to its fullest potential, and there was no doubt that the presentations had already begun. As the trees blurred past him, BaekHyun felt his hopes slowly disintegrating along with the wind.

            “Mianhae April…”

            “Thank you for your time, and I apologize in place of my partner,” April ended her presentation with an honest apology, bowing politely as she retrieved to her seat.

            The door suddenly shot open up with BaekHyun and ChanYeol standing before it. April looked at the boys, watching as their chest heaved up and down in desperate need for air. Her eyes soon locked onto BaekHyun’s, but then broke away when she felt the infuriating anger burning from within her.

            “Wow, you two are very punctual today aren’t you?” Mrs. Son sarcastically commented as she marked the boys’ absences onto her clipboard.

            April had dealt with incompetent, lazy, and unmotivated partners before, but none of them have flaked on her during a presentation before. Hurt, disappointment, and angry, April stubbornly refused to look at BaekHyun when he sat down beside her. She kept her hard gaze secured on her vandalized desk.

            Before BaekHyun could get a chance to apologize, the bell rang—dismissing all students to their next class. April waited until all her classmates left the classroom before she allowed herself to exit. Unexpectedly, she opened the door to find her detestable partner waiting for her outside.

            “April, let me—“

            She glared at the boy before roughly brushing past him, leaving him behind with no opportunity to say what he desired to say. BaekHyun felt his heart oddly stinging as April walked further and further away from him.